What If  Clive Died in Lost Future?
by JezKhal
Summary: What if things had turned out differently in Professor Layton and the Lost Future? Would Layton & Co. think of him in the same way? Believe me, I love Clive as much as the next Layton fan, I'm not trying to be nasty! :


Clive pulled a lever next to him and scowled up at the screens above him.

"Now what is it?" he grumbled, glaring at the flashing red lights on the diagrams of the mobile fortress. "No, no, no!" The fortress seemed to groan in reply.

Walking was difficult while the fortress was shaking, but Clive made it to the large window and stared at the city of London below. So much was destroyed … but not enough. Not any of the houses of parliament, not any crucial scientific laboratories, not even Bill Hawks. Professor Layton, damn him, had seen to that. Rescuing Bill Hawks and making the fortress destroy itself had been his doing. It had been too simple for him. Clive should have known that, he should have locked the doors at the very least …

Clive pressed his palm to his forehead. "It can't end this way …" he muttered. He shook his head and raised his voice to a shout. "It won't end this way!"

A pipe suddenly came loose directly above him. Clive looked up, but before he could move it crashed down and hit his head, sending him sprawling to the floor.

The world went black …

- L -

Professor Layton, Luke, Flora, Celeste and Bill Hawks breathed a collective sigh of relief as the Laytonmobile/plane soared through the night, speeding away from the fortress. It was close to detonating. It seemed to be writhing in agony as pieces of metal flew from its body and sparks rained like blood from the holes they left.

Everyone took a moment to look back at the fortress that had almost claimed their lives. For some (cough, cough, Bill Hawks), that look was a mere moment. Others ordained to gaze longer, remembering the human being that was still trapped inside. It was too dangerous to go back now.

It didn't take long to get back to the safety of solid ground. Bill Hawks was greeted with a cheering crowd of reporters and parliamentary figures. He waved for the cameras flashing around him, and answered a few questions before he was taken away by ambulance.

"Yes, yes, it was terrifying, absolutely terrifying," he boomed proudly into the throng of microphones and tape recorders. "That ghastly young man, Clive Dove, had me trapped him his facsimile of London underground since last week, in chains and all! And then he commits this terrible assault on London and her people …" Bill Hawks put his hand over his heart. "I am deeply sorrowed by the events of tonight, and my heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy." The ambulance pulled away with the reporters still clicking cameras and shouting questions. When the ambulance was out of earshot at last, the reporters turned on the others who still stood next to the Laytonmobile, now back to normal.

"Professor Layton!" one reporter yelled, poking a recording device into Layton's face. "What has happened to Clive Dove?"

"Unfortunately, Clive did not cooperate with us when he had the chance," Layton said neutrally. "After the fortress started destroying itself, we had no way of reaching him at the Control Room, and by the time we had our plane working, it was too dangerous to go back. He was left behind." Layton pulled his hat brim down to cover his eyes. "That is all I will say."

Everyone turned and stared at the fortress, once more thinking of the doomed young man trapped inside.

- L -

Clive woke up to a pounding head and the sound of screeching metal and explosions all around him. He lifted his aching head and looked out of the now smashed window. Smoke still poured from the fortress, lights from the fires still glimmered in the streets.

Nothing had changed.

Nobody was going to save him.

The whole fortress lurched. Clive flung his arms out wildly, desperately trying to stop himself from sliding as the fortress fell back into the cavern leading to the underground 'Future London'. The screeching of metal against metal grew worse.

He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry for what I did. Please, don't let it end like this …"

There was a brilliant flash of light all around him … pain tore through his body … he was screaming, but couldn't hear or make a sound …

- L -

The shockwaves from the fortress detonating shook even Professor Layton and the others who were far away from it. Pieces of metal flew like shards of glass from a broken vase. The light was so bright everyone had to cover their eyes.

"Professor …" Luke asked quietly.

"There is no way he could have survived that blast," Layton murmured.

"Professor Layton, what are your feelings on Clive Dove's death?" a young woman asked, so softly it took Layton a moment to see that she had a pen posed on her reporter's notepad.

"Clive did some terrible things," Layton sighed. "But I do not believe he was an altogether cruel person. He was simply gripped by a madness of losing those dear to him. We do not know his full story, however – maybe he meant what he did, and had no desire to right his wrongs. We will never know."


End file.
